Monday, July 22, 2013

BRISTOL BAY REPORT

Lawsuit for Cook Inlet time

A coalition of commercial fishermen have sued the Alaska Department of Fish and Game over its management of the 2013 sockeye run and requested the court compel the state to allow up to 51 hours of extra fishing periods for Upper Cook Inlet setnetters.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

GUV URGES SALMON ON WAL-MART

A decision by executives at Wal-Mart to purchase salmon only if certified by the London-based Marine Stewardship Council has prompted Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell to urge the multinational corporation to reconsider how it selects its seafood.

Senator urges salmon on feds

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is taking issue with a new National Park Service policy to sell only fish deemed sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council at park concessions, including Alaska's popular Denali National Park.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

NINERS OK SEA LION PROTECTION

A federal agency was correct when it restricted fishing in the Aleutian Islands to protect endangered Steller sea lions, which are nutritionally stressed because of a lack of food, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

Kodiak: More humpies

'Are we going to die today?'

Tragedy and Courage on the Bering Sea, the gripping story of the fire and explosion that destroyed the 190-foot fishing vessel Galaxy, and the heroic rescue efforts that saved 23 of 26 men and women on board that day, will be screened Thursday, 7/25 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., and Sunday, 7/28 at 7 p.m.

Thursday, July 24, 2013

KENAI RESTRICTED

After four days of dwindling late run king salmon counts on the Kenai River, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that anglers would be restricted to catch-and-release and trophy king salmon fishing through the rest of the season.

Remembering Ted Stevens

Cal gillnets in water

The National Marine Fisheries Service this week declined to issue a required marine mammal "take" permit for California's swordfish drift gillnet fishery in light of the recent entanglement of two sperm whales, but agreed to call a special meeting next week to discuss possible emergency measures to allow the fishery to continue operating legally while reducing interactions with these endangered whales.

Alaska Fisheries Report

Coming up this week, the 9th Circuit says NOAA Fisheries was right to restrict fishing to protect Steller sea lions; and as if king salmon didn't have enough challenges, over 1,000 of them are killed by the hot summer. All that, plus the governor pleads with Walmart to take Alaska salmon.

Douglas Island salmon

King crab cannibalism

Researchers at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Kodiak are exploring predation between red and blue king crab as a possible mechanism for limiting the recovery of blue king crab populations around the Pribilof Islands.

Halibut catch-share plan

"The halibut catch sharing plan has been developed through the collaborative effort and hard work of many people over several years, and through a transparent and robust public input process," said Alaskan regional administrator Dr. James Balsiger. "We strongly encourage folks to take the time to sit down and read the actual text of the plan so they'll have the facts before commenting."